"Did he mistake Ancient One for someone else?" Gwen noticed Strange's reaction and leaned slightly closer to Wanda, whispering the question into her ear.
Wanda nodded without saying more. Clearly, Strange had relied too heavily on his first impression, taking what he saw as absolute reality.
Suddenly, Wanda began to worry—if Strange failed to meet Ancient One's expectations, would Alan feel embarrassed in front of her?
After all, it was Alan who had recommended Stephen Strange to Ancient One. If Strange didn't perform well, Wanda felt she had a responsibility to keep him in check.
At the very least, he shouldn't let Alan down—just like Scott had once proved himself. As long as there's determination, it's possible.
Maybe Strange, like Scott, just needed some motivation. Could that motivation be Christine?
She remembered Alan had mentioned the name once—it seemed Christine had a unique relationship with Strange.
Karl Mordo stood tall, clearly unimpressed by Strange's behavior.
"The person standing in front of you _is_ Ancient One," he said coldly.
Strange looked back at the elderly man, then turned to look at Ancient One, and abruptly stood up, awkwardly staring at her.
He had assumed that the old man looked more like the kind of powerful sorcerer who wielded extraordinary magic.
"Mordo, please leave us," Ancient One said kindly, sipping her tea as she looked at Strange.
Karl Mordo nodded and glanced quietly at Alan and the others. Since Ancient One hadn't asked them to leave, there must still be other matters involving them.
Without lingering or saying anything unnecessary, he turned and exited, softly closing the door behind him.
"Mr. Strange…" Ancient One began, feeling a sense of relief. Seeing Stephen come here personally had put her at ease—she'd been half-worried Alan might just drag him here against his will.
But before she could finish addressing him, Strange interrupted her.
"If it's all the same to you, I prefer to be called _Doctor_," he said. He hadn't corrected Alan earlier, but now he insisted.
Clearly, he didn't believe Ancient One was on Alan's level—maybe not even a third as powerful.
Strange figured Alan had probably grown tired of his complaints and dumped him here to learn some trivial magical nonsense.
"Ah…" Ancient One smiled as she calmly rejected the title, her voice gentle and polite—no sarcasm, no harshness.
Yet in Strange's heart, her words stung.
"Technically speaking, you're no longer a doctor. If you were, you wouldn't have come here with Alan.
You've been performing a lot of surgeries lately—it must've been exhausting."
Wanda hadn't expected Ancient One to say something like that. Seeing Strange's frustrated yet speechless expression, she suddenly felt an urge to laugh.
But beside her, Alan quietly sipped his tea, appearing entirely absorbed in it, showing no interest in Strange's awkward conversation with Ancient One.
Meanwhile, Gwen, like Wanda, held her cup of tea while her eyes kept flicking back and forth between Strange and Ancient One.
Gwen had always been fascinated by magic and similar mysteries. Unfortunately, she didn't have the talent for it—she had to rely on weapons in combat.
Strange nodded awkwardly. "Yes, I… I've done quite a few surgeries recently."
Ancient One slowly sat down. "Seven surgeries in a short span of time. That _is_ exhausting."
...
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